


HTTYS - Free (Timestamp #14)

by orphan_account



Series: Training!Verse [15]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Anal Sex, Cock Cages, Fluff, Freed Castiel, M/M, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2018-03-01 18:57:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2784017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slavery is finally declared illegal. How are Dean and Castiel going to cope?</p>
            </blockquote>





	HTTYS - Free (Timestamp #14)

**Author's Note:**

> That's it Folks!
> 
> I wasn't even sure if I should really post this but I wanted a proper ending so here it is. Definitely not as porny as the rest but I mostly just wanted the series to feel 'complete'.  
> Thank you for reading, giving kudos and commenting, I had a lot of fun writing for this verse and I'm kinda sad that it's over now but who knows, maybe I'll come back to it one day. Not in the near future though, unless I have a really good idea for it :p

The protests are nothing new. They’ve been going on for years, even decades, and generally didn’t receive much attention. It was the same thing over and over again, some activists gathered, held up signs and marched through the streets. People smiled condescendingly, others nodded or shook their heads and everyone usually forgot about what happened a few days later.

Lately, things have been changing.

The protests became bigger and more violent as more and more people stood up against slavery. Training centers and auction houses have been attacked and death threats have been sent. Even politicians started to acknowledge it, started to talk about their own opinions on the subject instead of avoiding all questions even remotely related to the topic. The huge amount of people joining the movement all over the country can’t be ignored anymore and there are rumors that the government is actively talking about the future of slavery in their society. It’s nothing short of groundbreaking and the news are chock full of it, no matter where you look.

Dean and Castiel don’t talk about it. It’s kind of a silent agreement to not bring it up and so far both have been doing good jobs at ignoring the topic. Castiel doesn’t dare to say anything, he’s not even sure what he himself thinks about the whole thing, and he has a feeling that Dean probably discusses it with his colleagues since it’s directly affecting their work. Harvelle’s training center hasn’t been targeted yet and Castiel spends most of his days at home hoping that Dean is safe.

-

It’s supposed to be another normal movie night. Castiel is sitting on Dean’s lap with his back to his chest while they watch some action flick with robots that Castiel has never heard of. About half an hour in, the screen suddenly turns black before the logo of a news station appears. Castiel frowns and Dean grunts in confusion but doesn’t reach for the remote. Instead they watch as someone talks about breaking news and they cut to a woman standing in a street surrounded by what looks like hundreds but could be thousands of people.

“A statement from one of the country’s highest ranking politicians has left many people speechless, while others are already celebrating. As of today, slavery is a thing of the past. According to our reports the government has come to an agreement earlier this evening and passed a law that will make it illegal to own, train or trade slaves. People here are fr-”

She says more but the people screaming and shouting all around her make it impossible to understand a word and they cut to the studio where another woman is sitting behind a desk. Castiel can feel how Dean is completely frozen beneath him and he himself isn’t any better. He’s gaping at the screen, unable to process what’s happening. His brain refuses to work. It’s not April 1st, it doesn’t seem like a joke, and yet it sounds so incredibly unbelievable that Castiel doesn’t know what to do with the information. If this is really true then…no, he can’t think about it.

Neither he nor Dean moves a muscle as the woman on screen explains the situation. Apparently there’s already chaos everywhere but they’re doing their best to keep things running. The government wants a slave-free country as soon as possible, so first steps are already being taken. Letters will be sent out to all citizens with everything that they need to know about the new law, like that they have one month to officially free their slaves. The papers that need to be filled out will also be included in the letter.

There’s talk of offering the freed slaves temporary homes but a lot of things still need to be figured out. However, they’re already setting up a service that will help freed slaves to find their friends and family. It’s not much but they’re doing the best they can on such short notice and with a promise that they’ll be back in a few minutes with more information and interviews with people on the streets, the screen cuts back to the news logo. The movie doesn’t start up again and the following silence in the room is almost deafening.

“Cas…”

Dean’s arms tighten around him and Castiel just shakes his head. He can’t deal with any of this right now.

“Please don’t. Let’s just go to bed, okay?”

Dean shakes his head and at first it seems like he wants to press the issue but then he just sighs and pushes Castiel off his lap. He doesn’t look at Castiel while they prepare for bed and even when they’re under the covers he only reluctantly accepts the hug after Castiel tugs at his arm.

Castiel closes his eyes but the sheer awkwardness of the situation makes it hard to sleep. Even without looking he knows Dean has his eyes firmly closed too and although they have their arms wrapped around each other it doesn’t feel like they’re close. It takes Castiel a long time to fall asleep.

-

He wakes up to an empty bed. It’s not something that hasn’t happened before but the pile of fresh clothes with the key to his cock cage on top of it lying next to him certainly is. Castiel frowns at the items and then ignores them as he gets up to stand in front of the mirror on the other side of the room. For a few moments he doesn’t move and just stares at his reflection, thinking about the implications of Dean’s actions.

Dean has to free him and it’s apparently going to happen as soon as possible. The problem is…what is going to happen to Castiel? He reaches up to touch his collar and frowns. The black band around his neck has almost become a part of him and he can’t really imagine himself without it. As his gaze travels lower he takes in the unblemished skin of his torso, arms and legs, only a few hickeys stand out. Castiel has never seen another slave without at least a few scars or bruises and he’s grateful that Dean never had any interest in doing that to him.

The shining metal of the cock cage catches his attention and he wraps a hand around it. The cage is still extremely annoying at times but he’s come to like it, being able to release a week of pent up frustration in one mind shattering orgasm is actually kind of awesome. Even the fact that ‘Dean’s’ is still engraved on it doesn’t bother him as much as it probably should.

When he turns around he can see the base of the plug peeking out and he sighs. It’s all things that are signs of possession but he’s not even sure if he wants to part with them. And, as weird and crazy as it is, he’s not sure if he wants to leave Dean.

He shakes his head and walks over to the bed. There’s no use in thinking about this now, he should go downstairs and see what Dean has to say. He leaves the plug, collar and cage where they are and just pulls on the shirt, sweats and socks. The clothes feel strange on his skin and he shakes his head at them before he takes a deep breath and goes downstairs.

Dean is sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hands and looks up when Castiel enters, warily eyeing the collar and the small bulge the cage creates in his sweats. He seems nervous and his voice shakes a bit when he gets up.

“Sit down, I’m gonna get you some hot chocolate.”

Castiel is not really surprised that the dildo that used to be attached to the chair is gone and he watches as Dean hands him a mug and sits down again. There are a few moments of awkward silence before Dean speaks.

“Okay, so I obviously have to free you. I promise I’ll do it as soon as possible and I’ll help you find a good place to go if you want, I can even give you money to support you and-”

“Dean.”

Dean’s head snaps up and he still looks so nervous that Castiel begins to think he’s dealing better with the situation than Dean is. “I don’t think I want to leave.” Actually, he’s pretty sure, even though it’s probably the exact opposite of what he should be doing. Dean is gaping at him and it seems like he doesn’t really know what to say.

“Cas…”

“No, just listen, okay? I have nowhere to go. There’s no one and nothing out there waiting for me. You’re nice and as weird as it is to say that as a slave, I like you. I just…I’d like to stay.”

Dean shakes his head and it looks like it physically hurts him to make eye contact. “You’re my slave. Or you were, at least. How can you…”

He trails off but Castiel has a good idea of what he wants to ask. How can he forgive him? Want to be with him? Want to stay? He’s not sure himself but Castiel knows that despite the imbalance of power in their relationship, they always managed to get along quite well. Maybe, with a little bit of effort, this can also work when they’re equals.

“You care about me. You never seriously hurt me and never treated me like trash like I’ve seen some others treat their slaves. And as crazy and fucked up as it sounds I actually had fun. I liked a lot of what we did and I have no idea what that says about me. It’s stupid to stay with you of all people but somehow, I still want to. If you’ll have me.”

Dean slumps back in his chair and covers his face with his hands while Castiel self-consciously sips at his hot chocolate. Dean breaks the silence after a few minutes when he leans forward and looks Castiel right in the eyes. “Okay. I think we need to have a talk.”

Their discussion lasts nearly three hours and neither of them notices that they forgot about breakfast. It’s refreshing to be able to talk to Dean about these things as if they were of the same status. Castiel is technically not free yet but Dean certainly treats him like he is. In the end, they come to several agreements and compromises. Castiel can stay and Dean offers to help him find a job and pay for any eventual education costs should Castiel decide he wants to go to college.

Castiel refuses to use the guest bedroom, instead opting to stay in Dean’s. He trembles a bit when Dean takes the collar off but at his own request, he keeps the plug and cage. Dean throws a fit because of it but Castiel quickly silences him with the ‘I’m-as-good-as-free-and-allowed-to-make-my-own-decisions’ argument.

When it’s already getting closer to midday Dean leaves the house after asking for about a hundred times if Castiel will be okay on his own. As if he hadn’t been alone in the house before. It’s technically Dean’s day off but he’s still going to the training center to figure out what’s going to happen. So far neither of them has heard about what the plans are for these facilities.

Castiel spends the day reading and unlike before he’s actually allowed to sit on the couch. At one point he pulls out the plug, he needs to get used to not wearing it if he plans to go out and work or go to college. He’ll even have to get used to wearing clothes again. Dean promised they’d go shopping the next day but even the baggy shirt and sweats Castiel is wearing now feel weird. He has a lot of work to do. The cage is the only thing he keeps. It doesn’t bother him that much and he wants to keep using it, no matter how radically Dean has changed his opinion about it.

When Dean comes home that evening, Castiel has already prepared dinner and is sitting at the table. “How was it?”

Dean plops down onto the chair across from him and sighs. “The training center is closing of course. I’m going back to Bobby as a mechanic ‘cause that’s what I’ve been doing before. Ellen has always talked about opening a bar or diner if her current job doesn’t work out so she’s probably going to do that. Jo, Benny and Ash will most likely help her. Other than that I have no fucking clue what’s going on.”

Dinner passes mostly in silence and while they put away the dishes and prepare popcorn for the evening, Castiel notices something. Dean doesn’t touch him. In fact, Dean goes out of his way to make sure to stay as far away from him as possible. Even when they sit down on the couch, it’s with Castiel on one side, Dean on the other, and a bucket of popcorn strategically placed between them. It’s strange but Castiel decides not to mention it for now.

The temptation to watch a movie is great but there are still reports about the new law all over the place so they both agree to stay on the news channels. The plans are more advanced than they were last night and lots of new information has popped up.

Shelters will be offered to all freed slaves who have no place to go and there’s even talk about giving them free education for at least a few years to make sure they’ll be able to make it on their own. Organizations that were responsible for picking up people who couldn’t pay their debts or homeless people on the street (like Castiel) are disbanded. Training centers, slave shops, auction houses and anything similar are getting closed and everyone working in the trade will get compensation money.

It is now illegal to hurt your slaves even if they’re not free yet and if they show any signs of recent abuse that clearly happened after the law was passed, the owner will get in trouble. There are also regular reminders that letters are being sent out right this moment and that everyone who doesn’t free their slaves in time faces serious charges that can lead to several years in prison. Plus, people shouldn’t be surprised if the police turned up at their door because there are thorough investigations to make sure no one is keeping unregistered slaves.

Dean and Castiel sit through nearly two more hours of reports and interviews before they go to bed. Dean still doesn’t seem too happy that Castiel decided to stay in his bedroom and while Castiel turns into an octopus under the covers, Dean remains stiff as a board. And not in the sexy sense.

Things still aren’t better the next morning and over the next days and weeks, nothing changes. Castiel thinks they could get along, maybe even without things being awkward between them forever. He knows he should get away from the man who, for all intents and purposes, kept him as a sex slave for years but he just doesn’t want to. He can easily imagine having a nice life with a job and a few friends but still come home to Dean at the end of the day.

Dean really seems to be at a loss concerning the whole situation, much more so than Castiel is. It’s probably extremely weird for him that they’re suddenly equals and he needs time to adjust to it. 

A little less than two weeks before the deadline they get the confirmation that the papers have gone through. Castiel is officially free. He’s already been looking up courses at the local college online and now he also starts looking for a job. It doesn’t take him too long to find one. The owner of the coffee shop a few blocks away turns out to be a member of the Anti-Slavery Movement and hires him on the spot when he hears that Castiel is a freed slave.

In his own best interest, Castiel decides not to mention that he’s living with his former master. It would only end in weird looks and maybe even a stern lecture that he doesn’t really want.

-

A month passes and Castiel is actually pretty happy with his life. He keeps making plans for college and he likes his work at the coffeeshop. His colleagues are nice and Castiel truly enjoys going to work. Then he comes home to Dean. Dean is still distant and it’s driving Castiel mad. They still talk about their days, talk about movies and other random stuff, but Dean barely touches him and sometimes even has problems looking him in the eye. It’s frustrating not only because Castiel is making an effort to get along with him, but also because he would really like to touch Dean again. Both in the sexual and non-sexual way.

Castiel is still wearing the cage, much to Dean’s dismay, and he didn’t let himself orgasm even once. There was only one time when he unlocked the cage and got himself off but it was so extremely unsatisfying that it could barely count as an orgasm. Since then, he’s kept himself locked and maybe that’s one of the reasons why Dean is so hesitant to just do something. Castiel even had to resort to milking himself to relieve some pressure, no matter how much he hated it, and all because Dean is acting like he took a vow of abstinence.

Eventually, Castiel has enough. Enough of being ignored whenever he wants to talk about that particular problem, enough of not getting the sex, hugs, or cuddles he wants, and enough of Dean looking guilty and nervous whenever they’re in the same room. This is not how Castiel imagined things to go and it’s more than a little bit weird that Castiel is the one who has to reach out to Dean. Since talking and attempts at cuddling didn’t work, Castiel decides to use more intense methods.

That evening, he waits until Dean has relaxed on the couch before he walks into the room – completely naked save for the cage. Dean’s eyes go wide and he chokes on his beer when Castiel sits down on his lap. Before Castiel can say or do anything else, Dean pushes him away and to the side and practically falls out of the room in his haste to get away. Castiel lands on the couch right next to where Dean sat just a few seconds ago and he’s too surprised by that sudden reaction to even pout.

After that, Castiel just keeps randomly getting naked during the day, he sometimes wears nipple clamps or a plug, but Dean never does anything and the self-control he has is terribly frustrating. There have been several times where people on TV or the radio have said that freed slaves should get as far away from their former masters as possible and Castiel knows he shouldn’t want sex with Dean. He probably shouldn’t have enjoyed it in the first place. He’s never had sex before Dean and if he’s honest with himself he doesn’t really want to try being with anyone else. Maybe Dean has his own reasons for acting the way he does but still, shouldn’t Castiel be the one hesitating?

He keeps thinking about it for nearly another two weeks before he finally corners Dean in the kitchen. This time Castiel won’t let him get away.

“Why?”

He doesn’t specify what he means but he can see in Dean’s face that he understands and surprisingly, he doesn’t make a move to escape the situation. Instead, they both sit down at the table and Dean looks everywhere but at Castiel.

“I just…I can’t take advantage of you.”

“You’ve done it before.”

It’s a hard blow and maybe even a bit unfair but still kind of true and Dean flinches at the words. “That’s exactly the problem. What I did to you was okay back then but now it just feels wrong and I don’t know what to do. I still don’t understand why you are so eager to do this. Of course I’d like to touch you and have sex with you again but…” He trails off and finally raises his head to look at Castiel. “Doesn’t it feel weird to you?”

“A little bit. But I also want to give this a try. Isn’t there anything I can do to make that happen?”

Dean frowns and doesn’t say anything for several moments. Castiel is already starting to think that he’s going to blow this off again when Dean sighs and nods.

“We have to talk about boundaries. And maybe start with the easy, vanilla stuff? That’s probably weird considering what we’ve done in the past but I think it might be a good idea.”

Castiel is more than happy to agree to that and what follows reminds him a lot of the discussion they had a few months ago on the morning after they first heard about the slaves being freed. Dean is quick to establish safewords and assure Castiel that he now has the right to say ‘no’ in any given situation. They agree to start with proper cuddling and kissing before they go over to actual sex and Castiel has to promise that he’ll take the cage off at least the first time. It’s still unusual that Castiel is the one who has to accommodate Dean but as long as they manage to come to an agreement, he’s happy.

It takes them a little over a week of excessive kissing and cuddling to work up to actual sex. It mostly just consists of them kissing some more and Dean spending ages prepping Castiel before bringing them both with slow and gentle thrust to completion. The problem is that Dean still seems more than a bit apprehensive afterward and no matter how often Castiel tells him that it was great and Dean admits that he liked it, he still gets this grumpy look on his face when Castiel brings up the topic. The fact that Castiel has taken to wearing the cock cage again probably doesn’t help and one day Dean even goes so far as to tell him that it’s freaking him out.

“Why do you insist on keeping it? You gave up the collar and everything else, why not this?”

Castiel is getting really fed up with the topic at this point but he still sighs and tries to explain.

“Because it has nothing to do with ownership or whatever. Not anymore. People just have certain kinks and I happen to like the frustration that comes with it and the orgasms you give me when I get out. You didn’t seem to have a problem making me wear it and now it’s my choice so I’m asking you to respect that.”

Lo and behold, this actually seems to work. Dean nods and from then on out, lets Castiel do what he wants.

-

Over the next weeks and months, they actually manage to build a proper relationship. Both have their own lives outside of the house but when they come home they turn into an almost grossly domestic couple and spend their time cooking, watching TV or cuddling. With the occasional sex thrown in.

Speaking of sex, they keep it vanilla more often than not but they also went back to doing most of the kinky stuff they did before and both of them enjoy it immensely. It’s even progressed to the point where Castiel gave Dean full control over his orgasms again and he usually gets to come once a week. The only thing that’s different this time is that Castiel does have a safeword should it really become too much. Luckily, Dean knows pretty well where his limits are by now and he doesn’t think he’ll ever have to use it. All in all it’s a pretty good life, even if their relationship might not be the most conventional one.

 

~*****~

 

Castiel has given up a few shifts in the coffeeshop to make room for the college courses he’s taking. After much deliberation he decided to try English literature and philosophy and so far he’s enjoying it. He and Dean are officially in a relationship and luckily no one at either of their workplaces has said anything about it so far.

It was a bit awkward at first when they visited the Roadhouse, Ellen’s new bar, but they’ve all come to some sort of silent agreement to just ignore the past and try to behave as normal as possible around each other. Castiel can’t really be mad at Ellen anyway, after all she’s the one who bought him for Dean. Granted, those weren’t exactly ideal circumstances for a first meeting but he feels like everything worked out well in the end.

Today was a stressful day for the both of them and even though during dinner they had agreed to only watch a movie and go to bed, they somehow ended up in bed, making out. Castiel didn’t really have any plans of taking it further until he felt Dean’s erection pressing against his thigh. When he pulls away from the kisses, Dean is smiling at him sheepishly.

“Sorry. We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”

“What if I want to?”

Dean’s look of disbelief makes Castiel snort, it’s kind of cute how Dean still doesn’t really seem to understand that Castiel is happy with this. With being locked and denied his orgasm. He knows his own cock is also trying to get hard in the cage, and it’s kind of uncomfortable, but Castiel is so used to it by now that he barely notices. Dean hasn’t argued with him about that particular topic in ages and he’s very strict about only letting Castiel come once a week, but sometimes it’s clear how he doesn’t get how Castiel can want this.

Castiel isn’t sure how to explain it but he puts his thoughts on hold when Dean drops a bottle of lube next to them on the bed. What follows next is one of Castiel’s favorite things. Back when he had to wear his plug at all times, preparation had been mostly unnecessary but now it’s required every time they have sex and Castiel absolutely loves it. He hums happily when Dean puts one, then two fingers inside of him. His cock is straining in the cage but he doesn’t care, especially not when Dean finally inserts a third finger. Castiel moans in approval and Dean looks down at him fondly while he tries to stretch him as much as possible.

“You okay with this?”

Castiel rolls his eyes. “Yes, Dean. Now get on with it and fuck me.”

All of Dean’s apprehension seems to melt away and he doesn’t have to be asked twice before he pulls out his fingers and lines up his cock after covering it in lube. Castiel groans when Dean pushes in but there’s barely any pain and Dean is breathing even harder than him when he finally bottoms out. He gives Castiel a bit of time to adjust before he finally moves and when Dean starts thrusting in earnest, he looks just as happy as Castiel feels.

Dean leans down to kiss him and Castiel moans into the kiss when Dean’s cock brushes his prostate. Castiel loves getting fucked when he’s locked up. It’s difficult to describe why he feels that way and why he doesn’t mind not getting the same relief that Dean does. Of course his orgasms are still important to him and Castiel looks forward to them, but there’s also something about giving Dean pleasure and watching him fall apart. With the cock cage on, Castiel doesn’t have to think about his own release and he can focus on making it good for Dean.

It’s been a point of discussion in the past because Dean likes pleasing his partners just as much and he always feels bad about being able to have an orgasm while Castiel’s cock is still trying in vain to get hard. They got over it though, after Castiel assured Dean many times that he still got pleasure out of it, just in different ways. Like right now for example.

Castiel doesn’t care about the slight ache in his groin and instead watches Dean’s face, how his expression changes, and how beautiful he looks when he throws his head back with a moan. It’s an amazing sight, but the urge to kiss Dean wins out eventually and Castiel pulls him down so he can press their lips together. It’s messy and not really a kiss, just moaning into each other’s mouths, but Castiel doesn’t mind and he wraps his arms and legs around Dean to make sure he stays right where he is.

Dean is picking up speed now and Castiel knows it’s a sign that he’s close. There’s not much Castiel can do to help except roll his hips a little, but it makes Dean groan so he does it again and again, until Dean comes with one last hard thrust, buried deep inside of Castiel. They stay like that for a while, with Dean lying on top of Castiel and nuzzling his neck. Only when Castiel complains that he can’t breathe properly does Dean pull out and clean up.

Castiel is left with a slightly uncomfortable feeling in his private parts because his cock usually needs a bit of time before it realizes that there won’t be any relief today. It doesn’t really matter though, not when Dean slides into bed next to him and they curl up under the blankets. Castiel is just about to give Dean a goodnight kiss when he notices the strange expression on his face.

“Dean? What’s wrong?”

He expects many things, but not the answer Dean gives him.

“I love you.”

All Castiel can do is lie there, stunned and shocked, as Dean continues. “I love that you put up with me, that you’re willing to be in a relationship with me, with someone who literally used to own you. I don’t know how you do it but I’m grateful and I love you for it.”

Castiel buries his face in the pillow for a moment to hide his smile before he looks up again and reaches out to cup Dean’s cheek with one hand.

“I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m happy with you and I wouldn’t forgive you if you didn’t deserve it. You’re better than you think.” He leans over to give Dean a short, chaste kiss. “I love you too.”

Despite the tears glistening in his eyes, Dean smiles. “Do you think we can forget the past? Or at least move on and start over?”

It takes him a moment to answer. Castiel doesn’t think he can ever forget what happened but he knows it’s in the past and can’t be changed anyway. He settles for a compromise. “I don’t think forgetting it is important. It’s a part of our lives but it’s behind us. Now there’s something completely new ahead of us and it’s up to us what we make of it. Let’s just concentrate on the future instead of the past, okay?”

Dean doesn’t say anything else, just nods and wraps his arms around Castiel. They share another short kiss before burrowing into the pillows.

Yeah, their relationship is definitely not conventional. But that won’t stop them from being happy.


End file.
